My Favorite Waste of Time . . .

[rock soderstrom]

Kurzschwanzschildkröte, came a pet store, we needed to get his cat some food so while he looked for that I wandered around the isles and ran into live animals and these cool looking tortoise babies. I had a friend who was very into turtles, tortoise and captive breeding/conservation efforts etc. So I wanted to know the name of the tortoise (I was hoping for Genus and Species), I got Kurzschwanzschildkröte, and another common name relating to a boys anatomy. I think my response was "WTF!?!" My friend then explained what it meant in English which did not really match our common name I guess - dunno I am not a turtle guy. Fortunately, it was enough and my friend already knew about them and the German captive breeding program.

I'm not a turtle guy either, in fact I didn't know the word or the genus of these animals in question until this thread. Learned something again, thanks to groupdiy. Things get a little more special when your partner gives you this expression as a term of endearment, I just wanted to mention that.

Is this becoming the most derailed thread in all of human history?

We are all trying very hard, the chances are high.

Here is another contribution that is completely off-topic:

 

[13engrsapper]

The thread is titled "My Favorite Waste of Time" lol

 

[telewulf]

..... But he does not understand why the English find the German language so amusing.....

Sorry for being late in this conversation!

Well, I am German an I can see quite clearly, what is so funny about our language.
When I was at the Schule für Rundfunktechnik (there´s your first compound word already) I instantly realized that if there was a people even more prone to laughable compound words than the Germans, it is German engineers:
I was explicitely told that the W87 was a Stereodoppelkohleschichtflachbahnpegelsteller, whereas the W66 was a Monodoppelkohleschichtflachbahnpegelsteller.
That words wouldn´t even fit onto a scrabble board, would they?

The first non-German who is able to tell, what a W87 is, wins ...
... a W87!

(Sorry Rock, for excluding you)

best wishes from Bremen,
Wulf

 

[rock soderstrom]

(Sorry Rock, for excluding you)

Damn!

 

[Khron]

The first non-German who is able to tell, what a W87 is, wins ...
... a W87!

Stereo dual carbon track linear fader?

 

[telewulf]

AND THE WINNER IS:

Stereo dual carbon track linear fader?

Well, "Flachbahn" actually means that the carbon track isn´t circular, like in a potentiometer, ... but then again that does translate as "linear", doesn´t it?
Where shall I send your specimen to?

best wishes from Bremen,
Wulf

 

[Khron]

Where shall I send your specimen to?

Are you serious?

 

[telewulf]

Well ... yes, I was. ... I certainly wouldn´t want to break a promise!

 

[rogs]

.... And then there are some real German words that are almost as amusing as the fake 'comedy' ones.
The French word 'brassière' means 'a bodice' ... In English it refers to a specific item of ladies' clothing...
The comedy fake German word is 'stoppenfloppen'
The real German word is 'bustenhalter' which sounds almost as amusing to an English speaker..

I'm sure there are lots of examples in other languages, but having English as a first language tends to make people like me very lazy about languages!
I am in awe of how well many of you write in English, when it is not your first language....

( OK, I can see that this thread highjack is probably now getting really 'over the top' .... Sorry! )

 

[DFischer]

As an American and a native English speaker, I love the German language. It's so much more precise, consistent, and economical than ours. There is a cliche in the US that the Eskimos have 50 words for snow. My observation is that English speakers have 50 words for everything. I was recently watching a British TV show called "Rabbit" that takes place in Victorian London. Someone had just unveiled the brand new invention of the telephone. While discussing what it was and how it works, someone runs in and shouts "this just in, the Cockneys are calling it a blower!".

But my respect for German doesn't preclude my liking English as well. I love that we don't use gendered nouns, and I suppose the large vocabulary makes for good prose and poetry. Also, all the grammatical inconsistencies allow one in the know to demonstrate their intellectual superiority over the lesser classes. I experience this all the time when a non-native English speaker corrects my poor grammar.

 

[GeorgeToledo]

Sorry for being late in this conversation!

Well, I am German an I can see quite clearly, what is so funny about our language.
When I was at the Schule für Rundfunktechnik (there´s your first compound word already) I instantly realized that if there was a people even more prone to laughable compound words than the Germans, it is German engineers:
I was explicitely told that the W87 was a Stereodoppelkohleschichtflachbahnpegelsteller, whereas the W66 was a Monodoppelkohleschichtflachbahnpegelsteller.
That words wouldn´t even fit onto a scrabble board, would they?

The first non-German who is able to tell, what a W87 is, wins ...
... a W87!

(Sorry Rock, for excluding you)

best wishes from Bremen,
Wulf

Windscreen for U87.

 

[GeorgeToledo]

Is the title also a Marshall Crenshaw reference?

 

[Cqwet Dbdfte]

Anglophones are bewildered by long compound words because English orthography is a trainwreck.
Are there spelling contests in Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, and scandinavia?
Anglophones read letter combinations where elsewhere individual letters are read, with some compound letter combinations. Diacritical marks for vowel stresses are not used or understood in English.

 

[MicMaven]

What was the original topic of the thread again? Big apologies to the thread opener.

NO apologies needed !! It has been a swell conversation. My only regret is we are not all together conversing over a beer, fine bourbon, or the like!

James

[Imagine me toasting and wishing you all good health and vast wealth whist sipping a truly fine bourbon whisky: George T Stagg, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection - uncut, unfiltered, hand bottled straight from the barrel at 142.8 barrel proof - a truly manly tipple - complex character and strong enough to grow hair on your toenails! - Cheers to all! ] / JHR